


Friends Over Countries

by Noctuarie



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom
Genre: Gen, villian arcs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:56:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28596570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noctuarie/pseuds/Noctuarie
Summary: Ranboo can't hold it together now that L'Manburg knows he is a traitor. As his mind spirals, he prays someone will break through and save him. When someone finally comes, it's the last person he thought would help him.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 205





	Friends Over Countries

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off Ranboo's stream on the fifth, with a bit of a twist because the angst got to me and the only way to cope was to write something a bit happier. The dialogue from the beginning all comes from Ranboo's stream as well.

It was impossible.

There was no way, no possibility, that anyone could have uncovered his memory book. He had kept it safe. No one was supposed to touch it. 

His steps hurried along the beach, too absorbed in his own thoughts to even see the world around him. "Why did I lose it? How did he get it!" he yelled, shakily flipping through the now blank pages. More than anything, he wanted the comfort of his friends, their smiles welcoming him. Whether that was in L'Manburg or not, he just wanted his friends again. But now, could he even remember who his friends were? "How did he get the book..." he muttered, his mind a jumbled mess.

All he needed was a moment to breathe. Relief from the constant pressures of the world around him. Not long ago, he had established his panic room, and now was certainly the perfect time to use it. Even with his poor memory, the panic room was something he could find. It was located right in the waters off the shore, and it felt like a breath of fresh air to be protected by the obsidian walls, the signs he had put up reminding him that he would be okay.

And that this was all the fault of Dream. 

"I really don't get it," he murmured, starting to pace back and forth within the small space, "someone stole it. and it's just... gone." His pacing ceased for a moment as he crouched in the corner, staring at the entrance to his panic room, the sounds of the flowing water echoing to him from outside. "I have no one to talk to, I have- it's just me. How come they're so wrapped up in their own little worlds- it's just-" there were no words that could express the pain he felt. There was no one who could understand him. "How do you chose people if everyone's against you?" he asked himself, turning his attention to the sign that reminded him to chose people over sides. Was that even possible anymore? 

Sure he was new to all this, L'Manburg had existed far before he had joined this place, but there was no way he should be this isolated. Someone should agree with him. Someone else should share in voicing reason, instead of promoting countries stuck in wars that never really had a victor. They could all be happy together, happier, even, if these countries didn't exist at all. These countries had turned everyone against him, just because he wanted to be friends with someone who didn't fit right in their ideals. "Everyone's against me," he muttered. But that wasn't really true, was it? They were all still friends, despite this turn of events, deep down. "No, no, everyone's-" his mind flicked back and forth, like a light switch constantly on, off, on, off, until it simply short-circuited. "They do understand, they don't understand, they do-"

"Hello?" Some else. He should be rejoicing, but it was the one person he never wanted to hear from again. Dream.

"Oh, so you've come here to my panic room, now," Ranboo said, though as he looked around, he couldn't see him anywhere within the small confines. "Did I do the wrong thing, Dream?" he asked, standing up to resume his pacing. At least it was someone to talk to, someone else besides himself.

"Mm, you did," he stated, and Ranboo's heart shattered.

"I was just trying to choose the people. Everyone just keeps on choosing sides, and it doesn't work, it never works." His pacing quickened as his heart raced. This conversation was only getting worse, he needed someone to tell him he was doing the right thing. He had to be doing the right thing. "I don't know what else I could've done. I got roped into this from the very beginning. I immediately got roped in to burn George's house. You know- you know that. I don't do well with peer pressure."

Peer pressure had forced him into so many things. From giving back the armor, to helping Tommy before he finally got exiled. In some ways, it felt like it was all his fault. If only he was just a little stronger, had a little more backbone. Maybe this never would have happened. "Hm, could you have helped Tommy destroy the community house?" Dream said, finally interrupting his thoughts. It wasn't the interruption he wanted. 

That didn't make sense. The community house had absolutely nothing to do with him, he wasn't there, he hadn't seen it. It was impossible. he would've remembered. He would've remembered the burning flames rising to the sky, the TNT set upon the ground, Tommy yelling about whatever came to mind- he would remember. Right? "No, no I didn't."

"You must've, you just don't remember," Dream asserted, his voice still calm and sure like always. Always one step ahead. 

He wanted desperately to refute him, to tell him he would never have been involved with the destruction of such a treasured building. But there was no proof. His memory book was gone, his proof of what he had or hadn't done- it was all gone. There was no way he could prove anything now, or disprove it. 

"You burned down George's house, you blew up the community house," Dream said, no longer accusing, but matter-of-fact.

"It couldn't be me." He had to trust himself. He would never do that, it was against his own principles.

"Would you remember if it was?"

"No, no. The memory book was the one thing that made sure I'd remember... remember who my friends were," his voice had grown quiet, and his pacing had stopped as he once again huddled in the corner, desperate for any remnant of safety. The memory book was destroyed, he had nothing. Nothing to rely on. "If I can't rely on the memory book, then what can I rely on?"

"I don't know. Not yourself, I'm not even real." 

"What do you mean you're not real? Dream?" Ranboo's eyes shot wildly around the room, but there was no one there. There never was. "It wasn't real," he muttered, "that entire time. I- I blew up the community house.No, no you couldn't have- you wouldn't do those things. But I must've done that. No, no-" 

His mind was flickering once again. Why would he have done this? Had someone pressured him? "I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know what I'm going to do, I don't know what I'm going to-"

He closed his eyes. He couldn't focus anymore, curled up in the corner of his panic room, his knees tucked close to his chest as he gently rocked back and forth. He was breaking. He didn't have the right answer anymore.

"Ranboo?"

There was another voice. "I don't want to hear it. I won't. I didn't burn it down." 

"Ranboo, man, I don't know what you're doing in here, but it certainly smells like anarchy to me."

He wanted to dismiss the voice. But his eyes slowly opened as he heard the heavy footsteps of someone actually entering the panic room. He could hear their breathing, something slow and easy for him to focus on. He squinted, still a bit unsure if this was an elaborate mind game or the real thing. "Techno?" he asked, blinking slowly.

Techno let out a huff, crossing his arms and taking stock of the room. Ranboo couldn't help but notice that dog hair was sticking to his armor, detracting from whatever statement the anarchist was trying to make. 

"This is the most low effort secret base I've ever seen," he said, looking at the signs set up upon the wall. "Is this supposed to be motivational, or something?"

Ranboo slowly stood up, trying to have some sort of dignity as he presented himself. "It's not a secret base, it's- it's a panic room. I think. I think that's why I made it." Doubt sunk into everything he thought now, no matter how deeply he believed it. 

"What are you doing in here, Ranboo?" he asked, meeting the odd monster's gaze. "Shouldn't you be preparing back at L'Manburg, with everyone else?"

"I don't think they like me anymore," he muttered, "I... I think I destroyed the community house." 

"You what?"

Ranboo winced, ready for anger to fire at him. "I don't know, it's only a maybe?"

"No man, that's impressive. I just wish you took credit for it sooner, so that Tommy didn't rush in there like an idiot. But I suppose some people are just always fools, one way or another." Techno smiled, imagining if all of L'Manburg could just succumb to the same fate as the community house. 

"You aren't mad at me?" Ranboo's eyes went wide, "even if I did do it?"

Techno shrugged, leaning up against the wall in the room, finding the small space a bit cumbersome. "I know we've had our differences, Ranboo. But anyone who starts chaos and anarchy? That's a man I can get behind. No more governments, am I right?" He let out a short laugh, expecting Ranboo to refute him.

"Yeah, no more governments. I just wish... I just wish government didn't cause this many problems. I don't know what to do about any of it. I don't know what to do tomorrow. I don't know if I can help them."

Techno tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "You know, if you don't support the government... I did just lose my right hand man. Not that trusting people is really going to happen anymore. It's me and Phil until the end, after the incident with Tommy. But if you wanted to help, like Dream is- well, I certainly won't have any complaints. I promise you Ranboo, when I'm done tomorrow, there's not going to be a country left for them to worry about. It'll be exactly what you want."

"Really?" he asked, feeling a bit of hope clearing away the unease that lived so heavily in his chest. "I just want history to stop repeating itself. It's going to keep happening, as long as L'Manburg still stands. I know that. I'm not sure If I can- I won't- destroy anything more than I already have." He sighed, shaking his head. "There's so much I don't know. I don't understand. But I think... I think I don't have many friends left, Techno."

"Well, I'm not sure we're really friends yet," he shrugged, reaching out a hand to Ranboo. "Consider it a partnership. One where you don't have to remember much of anything. All you got to do is help me out a bit tomorrow, and we can both enjoy the anarchy when all is said and done."

Slowly, Ranboo reached out his hand. He shakily grabbed Techno's, glad to touch something that wasn't the cold obsidian walls. "Anarchy will be better, right? All this fighting... all these countries. We can just be friends afterwards, no more territories."

Techno shook his hand, smiling. "Anarchy is always the better option."


End file.
